Defining the meaning and purpose of faith can be challenging. The Bible of course defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1, NASU). However, in a practical sense, explaining this in quantifiable terms can be difficult.
One of the most misunderstood Biblical concepts is the concept of faith. This powerful source of spiritual strength for all believers has been misconstrued by both claimed believers and non-believers alike. The primary area of misunderstanding is the notion of faith without proof or evidence (e.g. “the leap of faith”). God has never asked or expected man to believe in truths without evidence, nor has He asked man to follow His Word without very real assurances.
One universal truism about the nature of mankind is that men and women make very poor masters of our own lives. Without exception, we at some point fail and fall short of God’s expectation (Rom. 3:23). However, even knowing this, there is a strong temptation to be the master of our lives and to allow a “self”, which those in Christ have spiritually died to (Rom. 6), to once again be an influence over our decisions both great and small.
The world is not a perfect place, it is so ultimately because of the foolish choices of man. God created an idyllic world for man which man rejected, leading us into a world with many problems. Life can be cruel and unfair, yet it can also be rewarding and full of many blessings given by God. It is the uncertainty of the future or sometimes even the day that can cause us to stress about what will come.
With the continual rain that came with spring this year, some might have started to wonder if summer was ever going to come at all. Now that the sun has arrived and the promise of warm (and hot) weather is over the horizon, such fears are assuaged. The irony of this is that, of all the things in this life we cannot control, the weather is near the top of the list. It is also something we become bothered about the easiest.